In Dreams: Interchangeable Woodwind Ensemble Score & Parts

In Dreams moves through psychological terrain, starting in calm introspection before shifting into unsettling passages that feel disorienting and fragmentary. The familiar motif keeps returning like a through-line connecting disconnected moments, creating that distinct sensation of remembering something just as you wake.

Intermediate to advanced woodwind ensembles looking for repertoire that's intellectually engaging without excessive technical demands. This works equally well for contest preparation or recital programming when you want something contemporary that still feels accessible.

• Treat the eighth-note motif as a character that evolves throughout rather than returns unchanged. Even when the notes repeat, the emotional weight shifts with each new context.
• Lean into the contrast between sections. The peaceful passages will land harder if you resist the urge to smooth over transitions. Let the changes breathe.
• Communicate the dream logic with your ensemble. There's a narrative arc here, not just a pattern. Rehearse the piece as a story with different chapters.

Pair this with contrasting repertoire, perhaps a 20th-century classic or baroque arrangement on either side, to highlight its modern sensibility and emotional range. The flexible instrumentation means you can program it regardless of which woodwind players you have that concert, making it reliable for variable ensemble situations.

• Tracking motivic development across changing harmonic and textural contexts
• Responding to tempo and meter changes (multiple feels and speeds within a single work)
• Balancing individual voice independence with ensemble cohesion in shifting instrumental combinations
• Interpreting emotional subtext and narrative in contemporary concert music